This team could be scary good this year. Basically return their entire pitching staff, bring in some solid newcomers, and return quite a bit of their lineup. They’ll be ranked high and be predicted as the conference champion in the preseason.

Newcomers like Thomas Francisco have bolstered a very strong group of returning stars for East Carolina, which has its sights set on Omaha in 2019.

So there are a whole lot of reasons for optimism in Greenville, where the roster is as stacked as it has ever been. The Pirates have knocked on the door to Omaha before, but this could be the year they finally break that door down and make the first College World Series appearance in program history.

“Look, on paper it’s as good as any team we’ve ever had here,” Godwin said.

All-American Bryant Packard is slated to be East Carolina baseball’s leadoff hitter for the second straight season, a plan coach Cliff Godwin has for the American Athletic Conference preseason player of the year based partly on simple math.

It also is tied to slugger Spencer Brickhouse, who like Packard is a proven left-handed hitter as both prepare for the start of their junior campaigns.

Reigning AAC player of the year Bryant Packard headlines a balanced, experienced roster for East Carolina, which has its sights set on its first trip to Omaha.

The Pirates bring back eight players who logged at least 100 plate appearances for a balanced offense that ranked 42nd nationally in batting average (.288) last year. The talented but oft-injured Dwanya Williams-Sutton is gone, but there’s still plenty of star power remaining, along with some rock-solid veteran role players and several intriguing breakout candidates.

ECU baseball has the bats in Spencer Brickhouse and Bryant Packard. Now can they develop a workhorse starter to guide them to Omaha?

Path To Omaha: Does ECU have someone who can emerge as a staff ace capable of shutting down just about any offense in the country? Pitchers like Burleson, Smith and Benton have all been very solid, but in the postseason, you want to have a guy who can put the team on his back and carry you to victory in a regional or super regional. Depth is vitally important, particularly in the regular season, but workhorse pitchers can go a long way toward getting you to Omaha once you’re in the postseason. Finding a pitcher that fits that description will be key for East Carolina to reach the College World Series for the first time in program history.